


Golden

by aceofsparrows



Category: Hadestown - Mitchell
Genre: Argonaut au, Gen, Pre-Canon, bleuaceofsparrows fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-18 09:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21925477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceofsparrows/pseuds/aceofsparrows
Summary: Several years before the events of Hadestown, Orpheus embarks on a journey cross-country to help Jason retrieve the "golden fleece". feat. Calais, as designed by the lovely jo @ratcarney on tumblr. :)
Relationships: Orpheus/Calais
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Golden

Orpheus was not one for long car rides. In fact, until very recently, Orpheus had never even ridden in a car. He and Mister Hermes lived so close to the train station, and never travelled long-distance, so there was never any need for one. Besides, times were hard. Orpheus didn’t think anyone in his town even owned an automobile. 

Well, Jason certainly did. Jason’s car was big and shiny and probably very expensive. He’d said it was a relic of more prosperous times, when Orpheus asked, but Orpheus also knew that Jason’s father had been a wealthy man before everything had gone sideways, and most likely the car wasn’t even fully Jason’s. 

Anyway. 

It was in the waning days of winter when Jason had knocked on the door of the bar. It was morning, only a few hours past sunrise, and Orpheus and Hermes were getting the bar ready for opening in the afternoon. In fact, it had been Lady Persephone who had answered the door, as she’d been spending the morning chatting with the two, since tonight was her first night Above. 

“We’re not open yet, brother,” Persephone had said, and Jason, who recognized the goddess immediately, had dropped into a low bow. 

“Lady Persephone, what an honor,” he’d said with his face to his thighs, and Persephone had laughed. 

“Stand up boy. There’s no need for formalities.” Jason righted himself, still slightly in awe. “Now, what are you here for, if not a drink?”

Jason cleared his throat. “I um, I’m going a journey, ma’am, and I was wondering if I might enlist Orpheus to accompany me… ma’am.” 

Persephone turned, looking back into the bar. “Hermes, Orpheus, there’s a young man here to see ya’ll.” 

Hermes appeared a moment later, Orpheus at his heels, wiping a hand on a rag. He recognized Jason immediately; Jason was his grandchild, some way or another, from some relationship of his youth, and he always tried to keep in contact with family, however slight. After all, Jason was an accomplished boy, and so had his father been before things went downhill for them all. 

“Jason, boy, it’s good to see you,” Hermes smiled, and Jason bowed quickly again. 

“You as well, Lord Hermes.”

“So what do you want with my godson, Jason?” Hermes asked, placing a slightly protective arm around Orpheus’ slim shoulders. 

“I’m going on a journey, Lord Hermes, to retrieve a gold-threaded blanket from a man out West. It once belonged to my father’s family, and I can only claim my birthright over the business if I have it in my possession.” His eyes flicked briefly to Orpheus, who smiled a small smile in return of his gaze. “I was wondering if I might enlist Orpheus as a member of our party, as we will most certainly need a musician’s charms on our journey.” 

Hermes nodded slowly, turning Jason’s words over carefully. Finally, he turned to Orpheus beside him. “What do you think, boy? Do you want to go on this journey with Jason? You’d most likely miss the summer here, and perhaps some of next winter.” 

Orpheus looked between his guardian, Jason, and Lady Persephone. “Yes, I think I would. You’re always telling me that the best way to know about the world is to see it, and maybe it’ll even help me work on my song.” 

Hermes smiled at the mention of his song; Orpheus’ new project was an epic of sorts, a tale that he had yet to learn but was sure would bring the world back into tune, help heal this polarity of seasons they’d slipped into. 

“Alright then, go with my blessing, Orpheus. And you as well, Jason,” Hermes added, turning back to the young man on their doorstep. “May your journey be swift and prosperous, and may you return my Orpheus– in one piece, mind you– before too long.” 

Jason smiled at the god, not quite believing his good luck. “Yes, of course, my lord. Thank you, thank you so much.” He looked between the three of them, and cleared his throat again. “Do you have anything you wish to bring with you, Orpheus?” Jason asked, and Orpheus shook his head. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and his lyre, which was by his side. 

“No. Are we going now?” Orpheus asked, and Jason nodded. 

“Best be getting on while the day is young, you know.” 

“Then off we go,” Orpheus said, smiling and stepping over the threshold, hand tight on the strap of his lyre. Jason gave a little wave to the gods they left behind, and as he and Orpheus walked away, Orpheus turned for just a moment to give his guardians a smile in farewell. He was off on a great adventure.

##  *** * ***

Orpheus was _not_ one for long car rides. He was learning that, and quickly. The car was big, but the inside was not as roomy as it appeared and with several of Jason’s friends who were coming along as well it was a bit of a tight fit. Orpheus had taken his lyre off his shoulder and it was perched between his knees now, his long legs sheltering the delicate instrument from the jostling of the automobile and the feet of his companions seated on either sides of him. Jason had introduced them all when he’d joined the group, but at the moment Orpheus was still trying to actually match the names to faces and personalities. 

Well, he supposed, he was definitely going to have time to get to know them. They had a long drive ahead. 

##  *** * ***

It was late in the day when they made their first stop, and they all piled out of the car like clowns in a carnival act, laughing and pushing jovially as they filed into the little restaurant by the side of the road. 

The group was large and rowdy, and Orpheus was unsure what to make of them. It was clear they’d all known each other for a long time. Perhaps they’d grown up together. They were easy in each other’s presence, and surprisingly they had taken to Orpheus himself quite quickly, even though none of them knew him. 

They were seated at the back of the restaurant around a big, round table, and immediately continued the familiar banter they had had in the car. 

“Do you remember that time we all snuck into your neighbor’s pool?” One of the boys asked Jason, smile broad and mischievous. His name was Heracles, and he was obviously Jason’s right-hand man. Heracles, tall and tan and confident, came from oil money, Orpheus had heard. Blood money, Mister Hermes would have called it.

Jason grinned, tilting his head back with a shallow laugh. “I do. It was… Spring Break, right? Sophomore year. And Ata saved our asses by covering when your old woman almost caught us.” 

“That I did, boys.” Atalanta, the only girl of the group, had a sideways smile and auburn hair that was perfectly coiffed in a short bob. She radiated a sense of thrilling danger, the sort of attitude that the world could collapse in an instant if she wanted it to. Orpheus liked her instantly. “But I’ll have you know that I ain’t getting you out of trouble on this trip too often. I’m only here ‘cause Jason’s giving me a free ride to Hollywood.” 

The conversation carried on to reminiscing about the group’s days at college, as many of them had attended school together. Orpheus felt horribly out of place, both because he was several years younger than them all and also because he had only ever been to primary school when he was very young. 

Why had Jason wanted him on the journey? What purpose did he serve? Jason had come to them, to him, specifically, so there must be something…

“Hey, you’re Orpheus, right?” It was the boy next to him, who until now had remained silent. Orpheus turned, wondering why the boy was talking to him, and–

Oh. _Oh…._

The boy seated next to Orpheus was _beautiful_. That’s the only way Orpheus could describe him. He had high cheekbones, and it was as if his face and figure had been cut from stone. He had grey, stormy eyes, and thousands of faint freckles on the apples of his cheeks. His hair was a soft brown that reminded Orpheus of the coffee-with-milk that Mister Hermes drank sometimes in the mornings, and it curled loosely around his ears. 

And _oh_ , Orpheus had never seen someone so wonderful as him. 

“Hm?” Orpheus managed through the fog of _oh gods pretty boy_ that permeated his brain, and the boy raised an eyebrow, the ghost of a smile twitching at the edge of his lips. _His lips…._ _focus, Orpheus!_

“I’m Calais,” the boy said, sticking out a hand, and Orpheus shook it perhaps a tad too eagerly, grinning. 

“Calais…… pretty, like you.” 

Calais’ right eyebrow joined his left in the depths of his fringe. “Thank you, Orpheus.” 

And somehow, the journey just got a whole lot more interesting.


End file.
